Our History

FMP got its start back in 1966. 

1966 is when FMP company founder Len Levin saw an opportunity in News Reel Labs, a Philadelphia-based film company that produced news, sports, and entertainment motion pictures, including a feature film with Jayne Mansfield. News Reel was struggling financially, and when the owners decided to sell, Len stepped in.

Len’s strategy to increase revenue was to focus sales efforts on the growing market for motion picture services in business communications. A new corporation was set-up with a new name, Film Makers of Philadelphia. Propelled by Len’s drive to provide the highest level of customer service, Film Makers grew quickly.

In 1974, Film Makers was able to purchase and renovate its 5,000 square foot building in downtown Philadelphia. The 16mm film service facility covered nearly every aspect of film post-production including editing, color processing and printing, and even language translation and narration. Also during this time, Film Makers formed a partnership with another local company, Slide Transfer Services, Inc. (STS). Working together, Film Makers and STS became the world’s top supplier of 35mm slide-to-film transfer services.

With the 1980’s, Film Makers began the shift from film to video production, editing, and duplication, and in a short time became a leading resource in the Delaware Valley for producing video copies and converting between the many global standards for tape playback. With this change in technology came another change to the company name – from Film Makers of Philadelphia to FMP Visual Communications.

In the mid-1990’s, another technological shift was on the horizon: the burgeoning World Wide Web. The owners of FMP responded by launching a new company, Xstream Interactive, to provide businesses with multimedia and Internet-based visual communications, as well as live event and meeting support.

Capitalizing on the synergy with FMP’s video expertise, Xstream pioneered video webcasting as a viable business communication tool. No one knew at the time how much of an impact the World Wide Web would have on daily life, but FMP/Xstream was well-positioned to help our clients successfully negotiate the transformation.

In 2003, FMP Visual Communications merged with Xstream Interactive and the company was rebranded as FMP Media Solutions. With this integration, and a move to a new headquarters in Conshohocken, PA, the company began to focus more intently on building the value of live events through the power of digital media. FMP became a one-stop resource for producing meetings and support content – for before, during, and after the event – through video production, webcasting, and language translation. With this new focus, our company’s growth has continued to accelerate.

Since our early days, FMP has been a leader in adopting new technology to enhance business communications. But it’s not all about pixels and cables and transmission speeds. Inspired through the years by our founder, Len Levin, the primary constant at FMP has been an emphasis on service. We put our customers and their goals at the center of every project. We believe that’s what has allowed us to thrive for 50 years – and it’s what will keep us going for 50+ more. As Len would say, “We succeed by helping our customers succeed.”